Look Up and Live

Right after sunrise, coast of Maine.

"I see the world in light, I see the world in wonder

I see the world in life, bursting in living color

I see the world Your way, and I'm walking in the Light."

("Wonder," by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker, and Brooke Fraser)

What is it about standing at the ocean’s shore and never being bored by looking out onto the vast expanse and standing in refreshing awe? Is it the crash of the waves, the cleansing aroma?

What is it about looking up at the stars on a clear night and becoming frozen in your tracks with a stiff neck and dropped jaw? Is it the stars? The moon?

What is it about getting to the top of a favorite mountain peak and staring out onto the same view time after time after time and yet feeling your eyes lock in on the wonder? Is it the distant hills, the colorful nearby trees, or the masterpiece that they paint when they are together?

It might be all of that and more, but it might be one thing more that tops them all: The sky. When we look Up, we get the right perspective...

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

    The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

    night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

    their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

    and their words to all the world.

—Psalm 19:1-4, NLT

The skies, the heavens, are forever speaking in expanse, in color, in wonder—all of it reflecting the glory of God on the familiar, on what we see every day or in our favorite places. The lighting, and the time of day of that lighting, the angle through clouds or mist, all send new, jaw-dropping messages that the Creator of the universe loves painting awesome pictures day and night, and no two ever, ever look the same!

And He does so especially to remind us how He lovingly and enthusiastically created each one of us, too, and that like the patterns in the heavens, all are unique and fearfully and wonderfully made: "...we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

And He does so to capture our hearts and attention once again, to “take the world but give me Jesus,” to see all that is good and beautiful and amazing and nothing-is-impossible comes from His Word and hand.

And He does so (in the very same Psalm) to daily remind each of His children that we, too, are created to be reflectors and messengers with pictures of goodness to carry into the store, the backyard barbecue, even the potentially contentious meeting...

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to You,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

Maybe not all, but a lot of our life’s mission in this Great Adventure hinges on these prayer words of Psalm 19. Keep looking Up....Selah

[Originally published March 2018]